Life

Jagshemash! Nu-school racism or post-PC humour for the new century?

Either way, Borat is coming to (N.) America with his self-titled flick: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan which has already hit the Toronto Film fest and should be opening round here sometime this fall. Now, who the fck is this guy (if you havent seen the trailer for his movie yet or seen him introduce the Pussy Cat Dolls on the MTV Euro Awards)?

Borat is a character created by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (who is also behind Ali G) who is supposed to be from the Central Asian country of, well, Kazakhstan (a former Soviet republic). Now, if you've bothered to check some of the links here, it isnt all that surprising that Borat has stirred up some controversy here.

Continue reading "Jagshemash! Nu-school racism or post-PC humour for the new century?"

Life

Its oooowwwn, till the break of...Oct. 13 - VIFF on now!

Just a kind reminder...theres some good flix going on right about now. Check on it.

Life

Ya heard?!? Upcoming shows...

LYRICS BORN & CUT CHEMIST w/ PIGEON JOHN
Tuesday - October 21
Richards on Richards
Tix: Dipt, Zulu, Livestock, Clubzone.com

ZIGGY MARLEY: LOVE IS MY RELIGION TOUR
Monday - October 23
Commodore Ballroom
Tix

OZOMATLI
Sunday - November 26
Commodore Ballroom
Tix

Life

Does the average Iranian wanna pile-drive Dubya or its own Mullahs?

Marcello di Cintio's book POETS & PAHlEVANS: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF IRAN looks into the this question.

Alexander Varty's review in the Straight begins with this to ponder: "Consider this, connoisseurs of irony: you’re more likely to find Condoleezza Rice sipping espresso on the Drive than a George Bush–basher drinking tea in Tehran. In fact, when Marcello Di Cintio was last in Iran, Dubya’s approval rating was higher than it is in his own country today."

Di Cintio also explores the history and embedded place that the sport of wrestling has in Iranian male society on top of "its all-pervasive misogyny and the inexplicable popularity of Chris de Burgh."

Read the Straight review
Read an excerpt from the book
Read Poets & Pahlevans review/order book

Life

Join Korean Director BONG Joon Ho of THE HOST on Friday, Sept. 29th

Korean director Bong Joon-Ho fantasized about a huge imaginary water mutant creature from Seoul’s Han River in highschool…yeah, he was one of those kids. But who knew he would end up being one of the coolest directors in Asia, with tops hits like “Memories of Murder” (살인의 추억) and “The Host” (괴물) (trailer). He’s in town for the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) to present the latter—his childhood fantasy come to life on film.

THE HOST has been dubbed Korea’s “Jaws”…a monster movie with an edge, and Korea’s top-grossing local film of all time (at this moment), it wowed the Euros in Cannes, and Hollywood’s in a frenzy over its remake rights. Bong Joon-Ho worked with outside sources, including the designers behind "The Lord of The Rings", to create a realistic-looking water mutant capable of brutal and heinous violence….HEINOUS!

Come and have an intimate discussion with Bong Joon-Ho this Friday as he discusses the art and craft of the horror genre. You gotta love a guy who says: “My message in this film is that for weak people in society, the world itself can be a monster.”

THE DIRECTOR’S CUT of THE HOST & Discussion with Bong Joon Ho
Friday, September 29 | 10:45pm – 12:00pm
Vancouver International Film Centre
1181 Seymour Street (Davie and Seymour) map.
REGISTER TODAY! CALL (604) 685-3547
INDIVIDUAL SESSION TICKETS - $25 (EXCLUDING NEW FILMMAKERS’ DAY)

For further information, contact The Forum: T: (604) 685-3547 | E: forum@viff.org
Website @ www.viff.org/forum.

Life

The Drift – Fall Art Festival & Market on Main Street

Support local artists and artisans by checking out The Drift, an annual art festival which takes place along Main Street in Vancouver, and runs from mid-September to mid-October. You’ll find local artists showcasing their work in shops, galleries, and cafés along Main Street (map).

This Drift Weekend, visit Blim Studios (197 East 17th @ Main) for an art market this Saturday, September 30 from 12 – 5 PM. Featuring: Jamie Anderson/ Briar Ross/ Liam/ Amour/ Nicole Tirona/ Basco 5/ Laura Eveleigh/ Pippa Lattey/ Vert/ Family Man/ Devon Haag/ Vigilant Comics/ Ama Gi/ Reincardnation/ Hobs Nobs/ Steve Loxley/ Found Out Productions/ chizuru mashimo/ Robin Anderson/ Danielle MacDonald/ vert designs/ Joseph Grier/ Ark/ Jennilee Marigomen/ Benita Dibdin/ Will Brown/ Will Lim/ Demo Derby/ electrickat/ and more...

Continue reading "The Drift – Fall Art Festival & Market on Main Street"

Life

It aint no dieting, its Ramadan, yo

Notice any of your Muslim coworkers seem a bit spent in the office? Is it the long hours, the partying during the week...or possibly because they are not eating during daylight hours? Yup, its that time of year for Muslims to fast during the 9th month on the Muslim lunar year. And so starts the harcore cycle as depicted in the pic.

But what exactly is the fasting for?

Read on about Ramadan HERE or HERE

Life

Next Gen Pinoy Cuisine Ahoy!

Unlike your local DJ or bboy competitions, Filipinos are not really well represented in the restaurant and cuisine department, let alone in the tapas or izakaya style joints. The newly opened Rekados Grill, Hotpot & Tapas (which according to On Point Production's el Presidente, Lee Zamora "means food that goes with the main course...like side dishes..."), off Main & King Ed in Vancouver, fills that gap in presenting Filipino food in the modern tapas/izakaya context in a poshy kind of setting.

Our night there started off in authentic Pinoy fashion as...

Continue reading "Next Gen Pinoy Cuisine Ahoy!"

Life

ASK A NINJA – Advice from the stealth masters

Cultural misappropriation aside, sometimes you just have to get over it and laugh along. So, PC aside, check out ASK A NINJA, a series of comedy video clips starring a "ninja" who answers questions sent in by viewers. Created in 2005 by LA improvisational comedians Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, ASK A NINJA episodes last around 2-3 minutes, and ends with Ninja's signature remark that he “looks forward to killing you soon!".

According to their ASK A NINJA write-up, the ninja often answers the questions by referencing killing or murdering. In Episode 2, Ninja explains “Santa Claus is a ninja who kills children who wake too early and see him before he has time to leave on Christmas.” Once Santa is seen, “he has to kill as it is part of the ninja code and that is why his coat is red, as it’s covered in the blood of the children who were impatient for their presents”!

ASK A NINJA is also available as a free video podcast through iTunes where it is currently #15 on the Podcast charts.

More:
*Watch ASK A NINJA youtube episodes @ episodes.
*ASK A NINJA Myspace @ /myspace.com/askaninja.

Life

New Ethnosonic host, dope lineup this week

Flipout and Amil Niazi join now show creator and No Luck Club member, Trevor Chan and Jenna Chow as former Ethnosonic hosts and in comes in Razer TV's Lauren Toyota to host the weekly music vid show showcasing worldly beats and global feats.

With the upcoming DJ Krush show on Sep. 27 at the Commodore, this week's video lineup gives its props to the dopeness coming out of Japan with videos by Krush himself and Cornelius as well as some Nikkei heads in former Pumpinks guitarist James Iha and Giant Robot mag fav Rachel Yamagata.

Sao Paulo new wave group and Sub Pop records's first latin American signing, CSS (Cansei der Ser Sexy) also debuts this weekend on Ethnosonic with the "Lets Make Love and Listen to Death from Above" vid. And, hey, whatta know? The CSS lead singer ("Lovefoxx" ;p) is also a half nihon-jin. CSS will also be back in town to open up for Ladytron on Oct. 14.

Also on the show will be some of my personal favs like Thievery Corporation, Zero 7 and the OG of the UK MCs, Roots Manuva.

Check out the full lineup HERE
Ethonosonic plays every Saturday and Sunday at noon on City TV

Life

Nelly-Nell hits Boricua land for No Hay Igual vid

OK, this video, shot on location in Puerto Rico, really aint anything special, actually kinda sucks, (just like the Maneater vid) but the song itself runs neck and neck with Promiscuous in the hotness department and might be what a more radio friendly version of M.I.A. might sound like. The Neptunes produced No Hay Igual, single #3, has Nelly rapping in Spanish (not Portugese) and though it isnt really a reggaeton track, its probably better than 99% of them reggaeton songs out there. The video also has a verse and spot added for MC Calle 13.

And I'm not really sure what "no hay igual" means in spanish but its probably something to do with being looooooooooosened up!

Check the vid HERE
No Hay Igual photoshoot

Life

Like Water for our Oscar

"Deepa Mehta's critically acclaimed film Water starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray, has been chosen as Canada's official entry for the 2007 Oscars in the foreign film category...Water, which stars Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas is Mehta's third in her trilogy on women in India. The first two films were Fire and Earth."

READ ON...

Water official site

Water stands at 90% on the Rottentomatoes meter

READ SCHEMA EXCLUSIVE FEATURE ON LISA RAY

Life

The musical voice of the progressive movement – Singer David Rovics in Vancouver

"David Rovics is a guy George W. Bush would probably like to clamp in chains at Guantanamo Bay—the last American protest singer (or so it seems)...In these days of ongoing neo-conservatism he carries the torch of dissent and protest…" –Andy Kershaw, BBC Radio 3

You like the sounds of him, don’t ya?

More:
*David Rovacs’ website @ www.davidrovics.com and MySpace.
*Download free MP3's of David’s music @ www.soundclick.com/davidrovics.

Continue reading "The musical voice of the progressive movement – Singer David Rovics in Vancouver"

Life

"The Aunt Jemima Problem"

From the Sepia Mutiny blog:

"Here’s the problem in a nutshell. If you’re a CEO of an iconic brand, do you modernize the branding of your product if it is associated with a country’s racist history? If so, how do you do this without either losing brand recognition or whitewashing the past?

In 1885, Camp Coffee started producing a liquid coffee and chickory concentrate. They marketed the product by associating it with the coffee that kept Imperial soldiers fueled in the mornings:

To ensure Victorian consumers got the message that they were drinking the same treacly caffeine concentrate designed to fortify soldiers subduing the colonies, the kilted Gordon Highlander was shown being brought his drink by a Sikh manservant.

Of course, times change. The sun went down on the British empire, dusky Britons moved in and took over the cornershops. They weren’t quite as fond of this label as Victorian customers were...."

CHECK THE FULL BLOG...

Life

Anarchy in the CHN!

"So while being punk may be a major social statement, a political act unto itself, musicians cannot yell “smash the state” or any of the other slogans that—hollow as they may sound at times—have been ceaselessly belted out in community centres across Canada. That being said, there is something vastly bolder about sporting a mohawk in Xicheng district, minutes away from Tiananmen, than urging the downfall of capitalism at Seylynn Hall in North Van."

READ ON (from Discorder mag)...

Life

Leslie Dala - Hungarian Canadian conductor reflects on Hungarian uprising 50th anniversary thru Liszt, Bartok and Kodaly

“Last year, I was approached by somebody at the Hungarian-Canadian Cultural Alliance about putting together a concert for the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, and it coincided with an audition that I did for the West Coast Symphony. Very happily, they offered me a show, and so I pitched them this idea of doing a program of Hungarian music.”

READ ON HERE

The West Coast Symphony with the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Alliance presents Leslie Dala with pianist Wang Juan

FRIDAY - OCT. 20, 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral
690 Burrard street, Vancouver

SUNDAY - OCT. 22, 7pm
Queen's Avenue United Church
529 Queen's avenue, New Westminster

CONCERT ADMISSION BY DONATION

Life

Mona Mok toks Asian.....something that rhymes with the last 2 words

If Asian guys are not well (Will?) hung, Mona Mok wants to talk about that and she doesnt appreciate that certain stereotypes are too taboo to discuss either. The director explores this topic in her short film entry in the Mighty Asian Movie Making Marathon which is a competition for entry in the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.

Mok also seeks to be unapologetic about making movies that tell the Asian experience in North America as she told the Georgia Strait that "she found filmmakers interviewed for articles about the movies Eve and the Fire Horse, Double Happiness, and The Joy Luck Club seemed apologetic, as if they needed to justify telling Asian stories." Whether she intends to simply be "unapologetic" in going on to tell more and more Asian Canadian stories remains to be seen but this reminds me of a quote from Justin Lin, director of Better Luck Tomorrow, when he said "I'm sick of seeing Asian-American faces on screen for an Asian-American reason. We live here, so why do we have to over-explain our existence, especially in a film?"

Life

Kits got Taco Grande

I picked up this week's edition of the Straight right after chowin down a huge burrito at Red Burrito on Commericial and 1st. Not bad, but it was stop #3 on our Latino lunch hunt. On our unofficial 2 hour Friday lunch, we went by this Mexican restaurant by Victoria and 33, cant remember what its called but it was closed. Then by the Salvadorean joint on Commerical (bet. 1st and Broadway, on the east side of the street) but, yes, it too was closed (that particular place has been closed on my last 3 tries there, papusas will have to wait again).

Then i saw this article about Taco Shack in the Straight, the day after. Former BC Lion and Angelino, Dave Benefield hooks up with Vera's Burgers crew to open up what the Straight calls "the best dam tacos north of LA." Schema Mag's Boon Kondo suggests to ask them to play Weird Al's Taco Grande upon ordering your fish, beef or chicken taco, burrito or quesadilla.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

TACO SHACK
1935 Cornwall Avenue
778-239-5102 - Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Life

Magaret Cho, Rex Navarrete - SEPTEMBER SESSIONS

Funny people Margaret Cho and Rex Navarrete will both be hitting Vancouver for standup gigs this month. Cho will be at the Orpheum on Sep. 22 and Navarrete at Massey Theater, Sep. 30.

HOB ticket link for Cho show
Navarette tix are available at clubvibes, clubzone and Sprott-Shaw college campus' across the city

MARGARET CHO
Friday - September 22
The Orpheum

REX NAVARETTE
Saturday - September 30
Massey Theater

Life

New Form Fest pre-party, SAT/SEP. 9: *———*[ NEWFORMS in DUB ]*———*

"The convergence of media art, electronic music and the exploration of culture"

The 6th annual New Forms Festival, which will be running from SEP. 19 - SEP. 24 has a little pre-event going on this Saturday at Open Studios, entitled "*———*[ NEWFORMS in DUB ]*———*" headlined by local ambient dub rock band, Calamalka and Montreal's minimal techno soundscapist, Deadbeat. The night is themed on.......dub music (ha!) and it many modern variations.

Hit here for full lineup and full event deets.

Life

25th Vancouver International Film Festival schedule is up now!

You know summer's over when its happening but still something to look forward to as fall creeps up on us. The 25th annual VIFF's full schedule is finally up online for everyone to scan thru. The bulk of the flix will be screened at the Granville 7 theatres (Granville and Smithe, downtown) and the VIFF organization also has its own theater and up running now too, the Vancouver International Film Center.
The festival opens on September 28 with none other than Pedro Almodovar's Volver, one movie I've been dying hard to see.
Search by movie title
Search by country

Some of the movie descriptions that have caught my eye already:
The Post-Modern Life of My Aunt (China), Border Post (Croatia), Passabe (East Timor), The Yacoubian Building (Egypt), Colour Me Kubrick (UK, France), Congorama (Belgium, Canada), Hana (Japan), Buddha's Lost Children (Netherlands, Thailand), The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Phillipines), Car Sex (South Korea)

AND KEEP THE SCHEMA BLOG BOOKMARKED, YO, LOTS MORE TO COME ON THE VIFF LEADING UP THE FESTIVAL

Almodovar film fest/Volver blog

Life

“One Point English Lesson” – Vermilion Pleasure Night

Every foreign guy shlepping around Japan has bought the book called Making Out in Japanese. Come on, admit it. Of course, not every Japanese female (or male, let’s be fair) out there will fall for the inane crap that flows out of that book, but if you’re lucky enough to nab a few dimwitted ones they’re probably the ones who religiously watch One Point English and think it’s real! “Vermilion Pleasure Night” is a late-night TV popular in Japan, with a cult following around the world, and the comediennes behind One Point English.

One Point English spoofs English lessons to the extreme — Tokyo pop style! You’ll find one of the Vermilion Pleasure Night gals dressed up as an over-sexed geisha who teaches “useful” English lessons….

Watch episodes of ONE POINT ENGLISH:
*Lesson 1: “You’re so goood!”.
*Lesson 2: “I give good head!”.

More:
*Watch hilarious Japanese TV show clips @ tvinjapan.com.

Life

Blind Chance: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kielowski

"No European director of recent years, not even Pedro Almodóvar, has been as admired. . . It is almost impossible to conceive of Kieślowski making a bad film." – Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

Pacific Cinémathèque and the Vancouver International Film Centre together are presenting Blind Chance: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieślowski, a film showcase of Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, probably best known to North American audiences for the “Three Colours Trilogy” of Blue (1993), White (1993), and Red (1994). Kielowski past away 10 years ago at only age 54 but has left behind one of the richest movie legacies of the past 2 decades.

The Kielowski showcase runs throughout the month of September. Check out these 3 links for the program.
Schedule 1
Schedule 2
Schedule 3

Life

No Luck Club track gives head tax redress movement new ammo

A new track from No Luck Club's upcoming 2nd CD release, Prosperity, entitled "Our Story - Chinese Head Tax Mash-Up" has given long time redress movement activist SID CHOW TAN the inspiration to shed light on it towards the younger generation.

Continue reading "No Luck Club track gives head tax redress movement new ammo"

Life

The 14th Dalai Lama Visits Vancouver – September 8-10, 2006

China is hella mad at Canada over this…but The 14th The Dalai Lama has officially been sworn in as an honourary Canadian Citizen.

(Just in case, you need a refresher: Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama is one of the incarnations of the bodhisattva of compassion, and the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism. And the Chinese full took over Tibet by force in 1959--and His Holiness is a great proponent of seeking greater autonomy for Tibet.)

Out of China-ruled Tibet, living in Nepal and India, and now ensconced nicely in Vancouver, The 14th Dalai Lama is in town from September 8 – 10th for the Vancouver Dialogues 2006—in the first series of dialogues sponsored by the Vancouver-based Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education.

The dialogues include a public talk in the afternoon at GM Place entitled "Cultivating Happiness". The Dalai Lama will discuss “the causes and conditions for happiness and guidance on developing an authentic sense of well-being that is not dependent on external circumstances.” In other words, His Holiness will speak on how to find happiness within yourself despite the chaos around you.

It’s fitting that The Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education is based in Vancouver. After all, “Dalai” means “ocean” in Mongolian—Vancouver has ocean (well, technically), and “Lama” is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanskrit word “guru” which is commonly translated as “wisdom”—Vancouver has…has…well, there are some wise-ass people around here anyways.

Be touched and inspired…The 14th Dalai Lama may just show you how compassion is the key to human kindness, which we need more of in this crazy world.

More:
*Descriptions of Dialogues and tickets @ www.dalailamacenter.org/ tickets.
*For more info of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace & Education, go to www.dalaimacenter.org.

Life

Vancouver Latin American Film Fest: SEP 6-12

Before the Vancouver International Film Fest starts, dont sleep on the 4th annual Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. Films from all across the Latin American continent aswell as some from Canada and Switzerland will be screened with the spotlight of this year's fest being on Cuba.

The flix will be shown at:

The Pacific Cinémathèque
1131 Howe Street (at Helmcken)
The Britannia Community Services Centre (screenings by donation only)
1661 Napier Street
Vancouver International Film Centre VIFC
1181 Seymour Street (at Davie)

See the schedule of movies HERE

More on Cuba and the hip hop movement there

Life

I Know Where Bruce Lee Lives – Ultrainteractive Kung-Fu Remixer

Bruce Lee still lives on…in the form of I KNOW WHERE BRUCE LEE LIVES, an ultrainteractive Kung-Fu Remixer created by Berlin-based Skop Designs. The remixer was originally commissioned for the online art exhibition, "Festival of Visions – Hong Kong - Berlin" where Berlin artists were asked to work with inspirations from Hong Kong culture.

You can hear it, can’t you? The “hai-yaaaas!”? The guttural “huh”! and maybe those ows and pows too. Oh yes, grasshoppa, I KNOW WHERE BRUCE LEE LIVES is a unique audiovisual remixer which lets you use samples from Bruce Lee-movies. You have a choice of 4 basic music tracks (Suspense, Mystery, Fight, or Victory), which you remix by hitting any key to add a sound effect, as Bruce Lee images flash onscreen.

Record your groove, play it back, and overdub for a complete waste of joyful time! Sock it to me!

More:
Haven't checked it out yet? Click HERE for I KNOW WHERE BRUCE LEE LIVES